Free At Last
By Serinthia Draftwood
Based on Horde Quest "Free at Last" featured in World of Warcraft.
Lakota Windsong came to slowly, her senses coming back to her one by one. The first thing the young tauren knew was that her paws felt as though they were tied loosely behind her. The second thing she knew was that her head hurt badly. She blinked her eyes open slowly, flinching at the bright sunlight surrounding her. In moments she came to realize she was lying on the ground next to a large tent apparently on a wide cliff ledge overlooking the canyon of Thousand Needles. She tried to sit up, realizing quickly that her paws were, indeed, tied behind her, leaving her helpless on the ground. As she squirmed about, trying to take better stock of her situation, she drew the attention of the occupant of the tent, hearing a voice that chilled her to her soul.
"Awake at last," came the deep male voice before the flap opened and out stepped Arnak Grimtotem. The huge, dark furred male tauren walked over to her, standing over her, a lustful grin crossing his features.
"About time," he said, continuing "I was beginning to think maybe I hit you too hard. Well, no, I take that back. Females can't be hit too hard, especially the one that will be my wife."
Then it came flooding back through her pounding headache. The offer to marry that came by written letter, Arnak having apparently watched her hunting from afar in the canyon. The Grimtotems were a violent clan, though, and Lakota wanted nothing to do with them. Her letter declining his offer was firm and to the point. Apparently that hadn't been good enough for him. The raid came that same night, by pure stealth. Arnak and his males came be total stealth to Freewind, invaded her home and kidnapped her.
As the memory came to Lakota, tears began to well in her eyes as she remembered the last memory she had was of her brother's dying gasp as he tried to defend her. Arnak had struck him down, and then apparently struck her senseless as well.
The young tauren looked away as she began to cry softly. Arnak, still hovering over her, only chuckled.
"It didn't have to be that way, you know," he said "You could've accepted, but apparently you needed to be taught a lesson. However, that's all in the past. You will be my wife. Content yourself with that."
Lakota's whimpers turned slowly to growls of defiance. She wouldn't let her brother's death be in vain. She turned to face him.
"Never!" she insisted "I will never marry you, you filth!"
Arnak growled and lashed out, dealing Lakota a swift blow across her muzzle, knocking her head to the side with a sharp yelp.
"Don't dare to speak to me that way!" Arnak growled "We'll see if a couple days without food or water in this sun will change your attitude!"
He punctuated his statement with a swift kick to her stomach, causing her body to convulse as she curled up, coughing as she began to whimper softly. Arnak left her then lying on the ground in the hot sun.
As the day passed, the sun beat down on her body. Normally there was plenty of shade in the canyon to take refuge in. Being out in the sun, unprotected for a long time, could prove fatal, however. As she squirmed slightly, her sore body complaining, she tugged a little more at her bonds, realizing with a little effort, she could get them off. That would be something at least. As she looked around the cliff ledge, she saw, aside from Arnak's tent, several guards and Grimtotems in robes…probably magic users…patrolled the area. On the far side of the ledge there was a rope bridge leading to one of the giant mountainous plateaus that dotted the canyon. Looked like one of the ones occupied by the Grimtotem tribe. She was well guarded indeed.
With all her effort, she managed to pull her paws free of her bonds and sit up slowly. No one around seemed to care. They didn't have a reason to either. If she tried to run, they could kill her easily, or worse. And the ledge was so high up, jumping would be equally fatal.
Arnak re-appeared then, walking off a short distance to talk with some of the guards. On his way back, he glanced in her direction and smiled.
"I've fresh water in my tent," he said "I'm sure you'd like some."
"Go jump off a cliff," she replied defiantly "In fact, jump off this one!"
Arnak shook his head sadly.
"Wrong answer, I'm afraid," he said, returning to the tent for now.
Lakota spent the rest of the afternoon pacing. The fear had been welling inside her all day, and was threatening to overwhelm her. Life at Freewind had been so simple for her before this. She thought of hunting with her brother or with her friends. She thought of lazy afternoons swimming in some of the few ponds that the canyon possessed. Now she was seemingly destined for a life of servitude at the paws of the Grimtotems. Arnak obviously intended to treat her as an object. Something to command, to punish and to…
She paused in her thinking as another chill ran down her spine. To be used…sexually…as his wife. She felt her tears returning. She slumped against the canyon wall, and buried her face in her paws, crying softly again at the thought of being made to give her body to him whenever he desired. That terrifying thought made her light headed as she cried. Or was it the sun? It was brutally hot today. The guards seemed to have water flasks, but she had none. Even as the sun began to sink in late afternoon, she held out little hope of being able to survive another full day of it without conceding defeat and submitted to Arnak.
It was in the midst of one of her bouts of crying that she realized something was wrong.
The guards at the far side of the cliff ledge were gathered around the rope bridge. They were fighting! Not each other, but…somebody. She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes as she realized one of them got cleft nearly in two by a huge axe while another was being driven back by an orange and black striped wildcat. Then she saw…her.
A female tauren with apparently pure white fur, wearing heavy layers of leather armor, swinging the massive two handed axe about her skillfully, was slashing at the guards that still stood. The cat, meanwhile was swiping at another with its massive claws.
One of the Grimtotems in robes appeared from the tent and began to cast, letting lose a volley of cracking blue energy at the unknown tauren, striking her squarely, but apparently mostly absorbed by the armor. She grunted an unheard command and the wildcat turned and charged the magic user, bowling her over and slashing at her brutally.
Lakota gasped in shock and awe, backing up against the canyon wall, watching the scene unfold. That the stranger was obviously a hunter by trade was clear…but why was she here?
The armored tauren cleaved the last remaining guard down before sheathing her axe in one fluid movement and drawing her rifle, opening fire on the magic user. Combined with her cat's onslaught, the Grimtotem soon fell dead to the ground. By this point Arnak bursts from the tent, now in full armor as well and wielding a large, equally deadly axe as well.
"How dare you presume to come here and confront me!" he bellowed "Who are you!"
The hunter paused, summoning her wildcat to her side briefly. She was apparently unmoved. Shouting in a deep, clearly feminine, but clearly commanding voice.
"Your crimes are too numerous to count," she stated "And the taurens of Freewind wish you dead!"
"You'll find I'm not as easy a kill as my guards!" Arnak bellowed.
He began to charge the hunter, but was met half way as the wildcat lunged forward and tackled him, slashing at him viciously. The hunter drew her rifle again and opened fire, shooting into Arnak's thick armor, making him stagger. Still, the wildcat was keeping him busy, biting and slashing. He swung his axe about, returning the slashes to the cat, but the animal was too fast.
Lakota noticed then the shooting had stopped. The hunter had drawn her massive axe and charged right up to him, swinging with all her might, slashing him across his chest as her wildcat bit unto his leg and wouldn't let go. Arnak howled in pain, but wouldn't quit, swinging his axe at the hunter and slashing her return, some blood beginning to stain her armor. The two exchanged blows for what seemed an eternity before it seemed Arnak was weakening and he slumped to his knees, growling through his bloody muzzle.
"Damn you to eternal hellfire!" he yelled defiantly.
"The hunter glared down at him, bloodied and heaving for breath herself, before raising her axe.
"You first," she stated before swinging with all the strength she had left and cleaving Arnak's head from his body in one stroke.
Lakota's eyes were wide as she watched the horror. She could barely believe what she saw. Only a short time ago her future seemed hopeless. And now Arnak was dead. Was she free? Could she escape?
The hunter had crouched heavily on the ground, stroking her cat gently, calming it as she took out some bandages from her pack and began to clean her wounds.
Lakota's feet trembled beneath her as she took a few shaky steps towards the hunter. At the sound, the hunter drew her rifle and spun around with surprising speed, aiming it straight at her, causing Lakota to nearly scream in fright.
"No, please!" she cried "I'm from Freewind too!"
The hunter sized her up briefly. Having no weapons and wearing only the simple dress she had slept in the night before, Lakota was obviously little threat. The hunter lowered her gun and her expression softened slightly as she spoke.
"How did you come to be here?" she asked.
"Arnak thought we were going to be married," Lakota said "but after I declined his offer he came back last night and kidnapped me. My brother tried to stop him, but Arnak was too strong. He... he slew my brother and then brought me here. My poor brother..."
The memory brought tears back to her eyes, but she kept her composure as the hunter nodded softly.
"Come with me then. We shouldn't linger too long," she said "I battled my way around the perimeter of the village so many of the Grimtotem don't even know I'm here, but they may find out. Can you fight?"
Lakota thought about that a moment. She was no warrior, but her brother had taught her a little at least.
"Some," she said. The hunter got up once she finished bandaging herself and retrieved a dagger from one of the fallen guards, handing it to Lakota.
"Defend yourself with this," the hunter said. She paused, looking at Lakota a moment before taking a waterskin off her belt and handing it over "And drink this, you look ready to pass out."
In the excitement of the moment, Lakota had forgotten how thirsty she was, having sweated away the day under the hot sun. She staggered slightly as a wave of dizziness swept her for a moment. The hunter reached out a steadying arm that Lakota grabbed onto before drinking slowly from the skin, feeling the water sooth and refresh her.
"Thank you," Lakota said quietly, not able to meet the hunter's gaze for some reason. The headgear the hunter wore prevented Lakota from getting a good look at her, but now she was curious to know what this hunter…her savior…looked like. The hunter, though, seemed uninterested in hanging around too long.
"Come, we must go before we're discovered," she said.
Feeling somewhat better from the water, Lakota followed the hunter and her wildcat, gripping her dagger firmly, hoping she wouldn't have to use it. The mysterious hunter took the lead then, leading her across the rope bridge, strung high over the canyon towards the Grimtotem village, the only way they could go.
At the first high plateau, Lakota saw the bodies of more Grimtotem. The ones unfortunate enough to get in this hunter's way apparently. With dusk settling over the canyon and dark following soon after, Lakota found it somewhat harder to see. Some of the deads gruesome wounds made her thankful for that.
As they approached the next bridge, the hunter paused, gazing quietly into the fading darkness, before whispering a command to her cat. The animal raced forward then, plowing into a Grimtotem guard Lakota hadn't even seen on the bridge. As the hunter dealt with him, Lakota suddenly heard a growl behind her. She turned almost too late to duck the swing of a blade from a Grimtotem that must've come from another bridge leading to the main village. She ducked to one side and slashed with her dagger, trying hard to avoid the deadly blade. But the guard got in a lucky shot, nicking Lakota's side, drawing blood. Lakota cried out, drawing the attention of the hunter who turned then and joined the fight, drawing her axed and downing the guard with one swing. As the guard fell dead, Lakota felt the hunter's paw on her shoulder.
"You alright?" the hunter asked. The other guard on the bridge was apparently dead as well, the hunter's wildcat returning from its kill. Lakota caught her breath and gasped softly.
"It's just a scratch I think," she said, wincing slightly.
The hunter dug out another bandage and patched the wound quickly before urging Lakota further along the bridge around the perimeter of the village boundary.
The next plateau was abandoned, no one there save for the bodies of other grim totem the hunter must've killed on her way in. They were nearly home free. One more plateau and they would be able to make their get away. As Lakota, the hunter and her cat crossed the last plateau to the far side where the path wound down to the ground, a Grimtotem battle cry was heard as four Grimtotem guards came charging onto the plateau from another bridge leading to the main village.
The wildcat was off with barely a command, tackling one and ripping into them while, the hunter drew her rifle and opened fire on her wildcat's target. At first Lakota was struck rigid with fear, but as the other three advanced on the hunter, she knew she had to do something. She gripped her dagger tight and launched herself and one of them, slashing at the dark tauren with all her might. She tackled the guard, the both of them spilling to the ground. They wrestled around on the ground; Lakota trying to punch with one paw and stab with the other while the guard tried to do much the same. Soon the guard managed to get Lakota pinned, but the young tauren quickly forced all her limbs up against the guard, kicking the guard off her to the side…and over the side of the plateau. Lakota hadn't realized how close to the edge she had been. The guard's cries of terror were cut short when she hit the ground below. Lakota staggered to her feet, realizing that now one of the other guards was dead, mauled to death by the wild cat while the hunter was being overwhelmed by the remaining two. Seizing her opportunity, Lakota charged without thinking for a second and drove her dagger as hard as he could into the back of one of the guards, felling him instantly. The hunter knocked the other back with her axe then and swung quickly, slashing the guard deep as blood burst from her chest before she fell to the ground, dead. The hunter was bleeding from multiple wounds this time, but still she stayed standing, looking at Lakota intently.
"Are you alright?" the hunter asked once again.
Lakota blinked a moment, realizing she too was covered in blood. It was impossible to tell if it was hers or a grimtotem's. Her whole body was trembling by this point, looking at the dead taurens around her before swallowing hard and nodding a little.
"I…I think so," she said, her voice trembling "You're injured badly, though…"
The hunter shook her head.
"I'll be alright, let's get moving. We're nearly in the clear."
Lakota insisted on helping anyway. The hunter had saved her life. It was the least she could do. She slid one of her arms under the hunter's and the two began their decent in the near darkness that settled over the canyon. All the armor the hunter wore was heavy and Lakota wasn't sure how much she was actually helping, but it gave her a good feeling inside to do it regardless. Once on the canyon floor, they moved away from the Grimtotem village, carefully covering their tracks for quite a good distance before coming to a pond where the hunter paused and sat.
"We should be safe here," the hunter said "We can't make it to Freewind in this darkness. We'll camp here tonight. A fire should go unnoticed this far from Grimtotem village."
Lakota nodded softly as she helped the hunter to sit by the water's edge before sitting herself, gazing at the other female softly.
"You never told me your name," she said quietly.
The hunter glanced at her and smiled slightly.
"Serinthia," the hunter said "Recently of Thunder Bluff. But then it's only fair. What's yours?"
Lakota felt herself blush deeply, having forgotten, herself, in the rush of the evening's events.
"Lakota Windsong, of Freewind Outpost," she said quietly.
Serinthia the hunter smiled slightly.
"Well, Lakota of Freewind," she said "We should be safe here till morning. Let's get that fire going."
She removed the heavy backpack she was wearing and removed some bundles of wood, crafting them into a small pile before using some flint struck against her axe blade to set the fire. Lakota settled herself by the fire, watching as, in the flickering light, Serinthia unbuckled and began removing some of her armor, first her headgear, then her gloves, bracers, and chest piece, having a thin shirt on underneath to maintain some level of modesty, wincing some as she aggravated wounds she had endured.
Serinthia's fur turned out to be nearly white, where it wasn't splattered with blood. Her horns were appropriately short for a female tauren and her mane of dark hair hung in two long braids on either side of her face. Her green eyes had a gentleness about them despite the times of hardship she'd obviously endured.
Hunters lived rough lives, Lakota had heard, and their appearance usually changed to match, but this one was different. She could see this hunter wasn't much different from her. And her physical features were appealing indeed. Lakota felt herself warming to the hunter deep down. After all there was another reason she had dreaded marrying Arnak in the first place. She watched Serinthia tend her wounds, trying to get a bandage around her shoulder before Lakota felt the need to help.
"Here, let me," she said "My brother taught me a bit about survival, too."
Serinthia paused and smiled softly
"Alright, I could use a hand," she said.
Lakota slid over to her and began to carefully bind the wound on Serinthia's shoulder, making sure it was well patched before sitting again.
"There, how's that?" she asked.
"Better, thank you," Serinthia replied. She got out some dried meat and fish then, giving some to her cat who had curled up at her feet, before handing some to Lakota.
"Eat, I'm sure you're hungry."
Realizing she was actually starving, Lakota pushed any other thoughts from her mind while she ate, taking her fill until her belly felt a lot better. The two sat quietly as they ate, each lost in her own thoughts, Lakota, at least, feeling shy about saying anything, unsure how the hunter might react. After a time, though, Serinthia stretched and yawned.
"Well, we should sleep. Kirika here will alert us if anyone comes," she said, stroking the orange wildcat gently. She put another log on the fire, to help keep animals away before digging a small pillow out of her pack that she normally rested her head on when sleeping outdoors. She thought a moment before handing it to Lakota.
"Use this, it'll help," she said.
Lakota accepted it hesitantly, touched by the gesture, but she was still concerned.
"What about you?" she asked.
"I'll be alright," Serinthia replied "I've roughed it worse than this before. Now get some rest."
Lakota nodded quietly before laying back on the ground a safe way from the small fire. The ground was hard and rough, but she had camped out before sometimes and, while she had had pads for her whole body then, it still wasn't that bad. She had barely gotten settled before she felt herself drift off to sleep.
She stirred late the next morning. When Lakota opened her eyes, she saw the still slightly smoldering embers of the fire and the cat called Kirika curled up dozing on the other side. At first she didn't see Serinthia until she sat up and look across the pond. The hunter had apparently discarded all her armor and garments and was swimming slowly in the cool water. Lakota felt her cheeks flush somewhat as she tried not to look in Serinthia's direction. It wasn't uncommon for tauren females to bathe or swim together, but still…it was less common for one of them to feel an attraction to another. It did exist, and was generally accepted by friends and family. It just didn't happen that often.
Serinthia glanced in her direction then and waved to her.
"Good morning," she called "Sleep well?"
"Well, as well as could be expected I guess," Lakota replied "But thank you."
"We have a little time this morning," Serinthia said, swimming closer "You should wash some of that blood off you. Not much we can do about your dress I'm afraid, but it's better than nothing."
Now that it was light, Lakota took a better look at the plain brown dress she wore. There were slashes in it where she had been cut and much of it was covered in blood from one or two of the guards she had killed. The few wounds she had endured seem to be closed at least and were healing. She nodded reluctantly before taking a deep breath and standing up, reaching behind her and tugging at the cords that held it to her body.
She discarded her dress slowly, trying to keep from blushing, feeling rather self-conscious now in nothing but her fur. Serinthia, at least, was nice enough to not stare, instead returning to swimming in the water. Lakota waded quickly into the water, letting it cool her as she swam out into the pond. There was an awkward silence for a time as the two let the water clean their bloodied and mated fur form their various injuries. Serinthia more so than Lakota. After a time, though, Lakota let her curiosity get the better of her.
"You're from Thunder Bluff," she said "How did you come to be this far south?"
Serinthia paused in the water, smiling some.
"I go where I'm needed," she replied "I decided a long time ago I wanted to help my people any way I could and if that meant ranging far and wide across the continent to wherever I was useful, then so be it. Rather fitting ob for a hunter, I think."
"It must be," Lakota agreed "You must see many different places."
"It can be exciting at times," Serinthia replied "But still dangerous. It seems like such a dangerous time to be a tauren, doesn't it. What with the alliance and their defilement of the land and their invasion of our territories. Then there's the undead we've allied with. I'm still not sure I fully trust them. And to top it all off, we taurens war amongst ourselves."
"That's the saddest part," Lakota replied, briefly remembering her brother, dying not at the hands of the alliance, but at the paws of another tauren "I worry sometimes for the security of our lands. Now that I am just recently become and adult, I find there is much to worry about."
"Well, our ancestors willing, we'll persevere," Serinthia said "and have some time to enjoy some of the nicer things life has to offer while we're at it."
"I'd like that," Lakota said.
She paused and gathered her courage before continuing.
"We should get back to Freewind," she said "My mother must be so worried for my safety…to lose two children must be hard on her."
"I am sorry for your loss," Serinthia replied sympathetically "But she'll have her other child back today, never fear. The rest of the journey should be an easy one."
"After that," Lakota said softly "How long will you stay around?"
"AS I said it depends if I'm needed," Serinthia stated simply.
Lakota found herself drifting closer to the hunter in the cool water.
"Maybe," she began, and then stopped. Then she tried again.
"Maybe I can cook a meal for you," she said "it's the least I could do. I never had a chance to thank you properly for saving my life. Then maybe…maybe we could talk awhile…"
The hunter arched her left brow slightly before smiling more gently.
"It's been a long time since anyone's cooked a meal for me," she said "I think I would like that."
"And who knows," Lakota said, not exactly meeting Serinthia's gaze "maybe you'll find you're needed around Freewind awhile longer…"
She didn't see the paw moving underwater until it took hers gently within its grasp, Serinthia drawing her closer.
"By you?" she asked softly.
Lakota blinked and began to stammer slightly, but the hunter moved her other paw, pressing a finger to Lakota's muzzle.
"Shhhh,' Serinthia said soothingly "You know you saved my life back there too during our escape, you know, so we're already even, but…I think spending time with you would be nice. We can take things one step at a time, and see where our ancestors guide us."
"I'd like to find out," Lakota said more softly, looking up then to meet Serinthia's gentle gaze as they both felt the other draw into a gentle embrace in the water, founding the beginnings of what would become a blossoming romance.
The journey back to Freewind outpost was a happy one. One that the two females made, paw in paw, chatting quietly with each other about how different their lives were. Serinthia talked of The Barrens, and forests to the North. She even spoke of the fine hunting in the jungles of the Eastern Kingdoms. Lakota in turn spoke with her of the more simple life, of spending time with her family, of hunting local game with her friends and weaving baskets and drums with her mother on lazy summer evenings.
By the time they arrived at the Outpost the foundation had been laid. Neither one knew if they would ever be separated by fate or destiny, but for just that moment as they arrived in the village, they had formed a bond that would last the rest of their lives. Whether it would bear fruit was now completely up to them…and it was a challenge they looked forward to together.